This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2012, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
Ogden • Last season, Eastern Washington walked into the Dee Events Center, outplayed Weber State, and came away with a victory over the Wildcats.
Even with a better team, the return of Damian Lillard and the recent return of Kyle Bullinger, Randy Rahe was leery and said as much before Saturday night's matchup.
As it turns out, he didn't need to worry, as Weber State led for the entire 40 minutes, defeating EWU 84-75, winning its 12th Big Sky game in 13 tries.
The Wildcats never trailed, starting the game on a 16-4 run. Eastern Washington closed to within 41-39 in the second half, but Weber eventually pulled away for the win.
In doing so, Weber State survived a subpar shooting night from Lillard and Scott Bamforth. Lillard, the star NBA prospect went 4 for 13 from the field, but still finished with 22 points because he made all 12 of his free throws. Bamforth scored 13 points, Kyle Tresnak had 12 and Bullinger chipped in with 10.
That was more than enough for Weber State to cruise to a win. The Wildcats had a decided rebounding advantage. They also broke the game open by making 32 of 35 foul shots, while Eastern Washington took just 19 free throws. —
Highlights
R Damian Lillard makes just 4 of 13 shots, but goes 12 for 12 on free throws for 22 points.
• The Wildcats make 32 of their 35 free-throw tries, while Eastern Washington attempts only 19.